Website: https://uk.mazzei.it/
Giovanni Mazzei recently visited to mark the 30th anniversary of Siepi’s release, a distinctive super-Tuscan wine originating from the Chianti Classico region, which is a prominent part of the Mazzei family’s wine collection. This wine exclusively comes from a single vineyard located in Castellina in Chianti, within the lands of the Castello di Fonterutoli estate.
Since its inaugural production in 1992, the vineyard, covering 6 hectares, perfects a balanced mix of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot. The terrain is chiefly composed of albarese (a type of limestone mixed with clay) and is situated at an elevation between 240 to 330 meters, with a south to southwest exposure.
The Sangiovese grapes are cultivated in two sections, Vallone and Poggione, which together span 3.1 hectares. Both segments use massal selection from the estate’s own clonal varieties for planting, including a new generation massal selection in 2011 derived from the original batch planted in 1997.
The Merlot vines, found in the central section of Il Piano that covers 2.9 hectares, were set up in 1986 and 1987 through a massal selection from previous vineyards on the property.
Organic farming methods have been implemented since 2006.
The wine undergoes fermentation in large 10,000 litre tanks and then matures for 18 months in French oak barrels. Interestingly, while the trend in much of the viticulture industry is to use less new oak, the use of new oak at Siepi has actually increased, with recent figures showing a rise from 70% to about 90% for the year 2022. “Today’s new oak is not the same as that of the past,” Giovanni explains, attributing this to enhanced selection processes for the oak used.
Siepi 2007 IGT Toscana, Italy
This wine, containing 13.9% alcohol, comes from a warm, early vintage with the Merlot harvest starting at the end of August. It remains taut and fresh, showcasing flavors of black cherry and plum, along with subtle earthy tones. Mature and well-developed, it features notes of menthol and plum. The composition beautifully blends earthiness, minerals, spices, and a hint of herbaceousness. Rated 94/100.
Siepi 2010 IGT Toscana, Italy
Featuring 14.4% alcohol. The season began warmly, followed by a steady, slow maturation, creating a delightful wine. It is bright and lively, showcasing rich blackcurrant and cherry flavors, accompanied by a refreshing structure. The wine has aged gracefully, maintaining firmness at the finish. It is very refined, with a slight balsamic nuance and robust structure. 95/100
Siepi 2012 IGT Toscana, Italy (magnum)
Richly aromatic and intense with sweet black cherry and blackberry notes. This wine has impressive concentration, being bold and ripe with substantial depth, and reveals traces of olive and a minty freshness. A tar twist adds to the complexity. It possesses excellent depth and focus. 95/100
Siepi 2013 IGT Toscana, Italy
Contains 14.3% alcohol. This vintage presented challenges in the vineyard with increased rainfall during spring and early summer; however, the outcome is superb. The wine offers a plush core of blackcurrant with some earthy undertones. It is exceedingly fresh and refined, featuring vibrant fruit and a luxurious texture and sweetness at the mid-palate, ending with firm tannins. It’s at a delightful stage of both youthfulness and maturity. 95/100
Siepi 2015 IGT Toscana, Italy
Marked by 14.4% alcohol with a mild spring, followed by a hot summer and beneficial rains and cooler temperatures nearing harvest. It opens with subtle leafy aromas and sweet blackcurrant scents. The palate experiences freshness and sturdiness, reinforcing a solid structure supporting the vibrant raspberry and blackcurrant flavors, packed tightly and brilliantly. This vintage remains youthful and promises a long future. Extremely fine. 96/100
Siepi 2016 IGT Toscana, Italy
14.6% alcohol. A warm, sunny year. This is pure pleasure with lovely with bright cherry and blackberry fruit. There’s a sweet core to the fruit, as well as good structure. Has a chalky edge to the palate, showing nice brightness and intensity. Very fresh and detailed, and offering a lot of pleasure now even though this will age well. 95/100
Siepi 2017 IGT Toscana, Italy (magnum)
Expressive and fine with lovely blackcurrant and blackberry fruit with a touch of raspberry. Nice acidity here, with a hint of earthiness in the background. A textural wine with nice tannic depth. 94/100
Siepi 2018 IGT Toscana, Italy
14.5% alcohol. A solid, abundant harvest aided by good winter rainfall. Fresh and vital on the nose with nice definition to the black cherry and raspberry notes. Nice juicy detail on the palate with lovely brightness and some warm spicy notes. Shows a good combination of richness and brightness. 94/100
Siepi 2019 IGT Toscana, Italy
14.7% alcohol. A warm but not hot vintage resulting in classic wines. Bright and fresh with lovely floral detail to the berry fruits on the nose. This is ripe and expressive with nice texture and depth, showing very ripe fruit but finishing fresh. This has amazing texture and mouthfeel, with good structure on the finish. Very fine and expressive, and quite delicious even at this young stage in its life. 95/100
2020 IGT Toscana, Italy
14.5% alcohol. Average conditions and well-spaced rainfall made this an ideal season. This is beautifully proportioned with a bold core of taut, finely wrought blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, with nice intensity. There’s a lovely grippy structure under the sweet fruit. Very fine and expressive with a core of sweet fruit and the structure running through it in fine threads. This should age beautifully: very fine. 96/100
2021 IGT Toscana, Italy
14.7% alcohol. The year experienced a cool spring followed by a hot summer, with significant temperature variations during the later harvest period. This wine showcases a splendid balance and brightness, characterized by robust blackberry and raspberry flavors. It offers a combination of lush fruitiness and refined spicy notes, all underpinned by a solid structure. Additionally, there’s a silky texture partnered with firmness, amplified by the well-integrated oak that brings an extra layer of spice. This wine is expressive and holds great promise. 95/100
2022 IGT Toscana, Italy
14.5% alcohol. The season was marked by heat and dryness. The wine charms with its aromatic profile featuring raspberry, black cherry, and blackcurrant, enhanced by pronounced spicy oak undertones. On the palate, it presents as quite youthful, with a pronounced presence of sweet, vivid berries and black fruit woven with grippy tannins and sweet oak, finished with a hint of balsamic in the backdrop. It’s a robust, intense wine with a potential for greatness over time. 94/100